recipe share

this is one of our all time favorite recipes. i think i say that about all of the recipes i post :-). i guess i just post our favorites.

chicken fajitas
3-4 boneless/skinless chicken breast
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1/2 of an onion
3 zucchinis sliced
1 pkg. of taco seasoning
2 tablespoons of oil
1/2 c. water
1 can of corn (drained)
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 tsp. on chili powder
1 c. salsa
flour tortillas

marinade
3-4 chicken breast cut into bite size chunks
1 pkg. of taco seasoning
2 tablespoons. of oil
1/2 c. water

place chicken, seasoning, oil and water in a zip-loc bag & marinate for at least 2-3 hours.

In a skillet that has been sprayed with pam, place all vegetables together & cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes(until tender)
remove from stove & place in another bowl.
spray your skillet again & place your chicken in & cook until no longer pink.
once your chicken is cooked, put the veggies back into the skillet with the chicken.
add chili powder & salsa. stir.
add corn & black beans. stir.

serve on warm flour tortillas & garnish with cheese, sour cream & guacamole.
enjoy!

**raimi's notes:
- i cut the chicken & veggies into chunks/wedges, bit sized pieces.
- i always marinate the chicken the night before.
- i use lawry's fajita seasoning. i don't like the mccormick brand(tastes funny).
- our family loves the uncooked (we cook them) tortillas from costco -yum.
- the fajitas are even better the next day for lunch...i'm just saying.

character counts

garrett received an award at school today. this is always a surprise to the student. once the parent(s) walk into the classroom, they are onto you & the surprise is over.
each month, there is a character trait that the entire student body is asked to focus on. this months trait was respect. the teacher takes a minute to tell the class why this student earned this particular award. this is what garrett's teacher had to say about him:

this student makes good choices in the classroom and keeps his promises by staying on a blue bear. I can trust that this friend will work hard, even when i am not looking! He shows he is respectful by always trying his very best to share and play by the rules. this respect award goes to: garrett

he was a little bashful at first{totally surprised me} & then was all smiles when his teacher shared what garrett had done to earn his award. we are so proud of garrett and how hard he has worked this year. he has grown, leaps and bounds and continues to do so.
way to go garrett, keep up the awesome job!

two of his friends earned awards today,too. way to go f and d.

happy memories

Look what I got to bring home from Green Tangerines on Saturday night.
















This is the second {huge} stack of layouts that have been returned to me. There were a couple of layouts from the GTKC but most of the layouts were a year and a half worth of kit of the weeks. I took some time yesterday to put all of my layouts into albums. I was able to fill two empty albums...wow! The boys have loved looking at all of the old/new layouts. There were lots of "remember when" & "I loved doing that/going there" comments. Those comments confirmed to me that this is why I love to scrapbook. I love recording the happy memories & having them all in one place for my family to enjoy.

family fun

we had a super fun day with family. in honor of my mom's birthday, we made a day trip home to hang with the family & make my mom dinner. first stop, grandma & grandpa shores house. we sure enjoy visiting with them.














i had grandma pull out a few of her christmas cards so i could snap a picture. she sure enjoyed all of the cards that you all sent to her. she said that she has gained quite a few new grandchildren :-). thanks for helping to brighten her january.












next stop, my parents home. we enjoyed watching the kids play, we got to see malakai. he was injured in a soccer game the day before. he was casted from his thigh to his foot. we made dinner, watched my mom open birthday presents & enjoyed cake and ice cream.



















we are thankful that we are a short ( 2 1/2 hour) car ride from home. we all agreed that we need to get together more often, regardless of our children's crazy athletic events.

one last scrappy hour

green tangerines closed early tonight & the staff got together...one last night to crop. we all brought food to munch on & projects to work on. the food was devoured and the projects stayed in their bags. we had fun visiting & just chatting. we played a few rounds of catch phrase. we laughed so hard, i cried. i always learn new things & new ways to phrase things when i play that game. i am so thankful for these girls & the friendships that have been formed over the last 3 years. they are all amazing & will always hold big spots in my heart.

happy birthday...

to my sweet mama. today is her special day. my mom is one amazing lady. on her special day, i thought i would share a few things that i admire about her.

- she is the kindest person i know...constantly thinking of others & what she can do for them. it is never about her.

- she is a wonderful/gifted teacher. she is s teacher on all levels...as a mother, boss, grandma, and sunday school teacher at school.














- she has a big heart with lots of love to share.

- she is so cute. she has a wonderful smile.

- she is an amazing public speaker. she can get up in front of a crowd with such ease. she is very eloquent when she speaks. when she speaks, everyone listens.

- she is the handout queen. these aren't just any handouts. they are adorable & so sandy.

- she is very loyal. that saying "i've got your back" comes to mind when i think of her. she is always there...for everyone.

- she is very thoughtful. i often get notes, emails, and phone calls that just say "i'm thinking of you today".

- she loves her family. it is evident in all she says and does.














- she is a lady filled with so much compassion. she has worked for the rape crisis center(now the director of 3 of their centers) for 25 plus years. that is a alot of years/time to be in the thick of something that is not pleasant to deal with. she has answered many late night calls from victims. she has been their support during medical exams at the hospital. she has been their support through their court trials. she has been their support during the healing process. she is simply amazing.

- she is every ones best friend. she is the type of woman that everyone wants in their circle of friends.

- she is extremely talented...on all levels. i am jealous of her sewing skills. she can create anything. so much so, that my 7th grade home ec teacher told me that she knew my mom & knew I could do a better job(during the sewing unit). yeah, her reputation is awesome. our family favorites are the denim quilts she has made for our family. she is making one for each of her grandchildren. I think the kindergartners get theirs this year :-). she made all of our wedding invites (275 of them). they were/are gorgeous. so much love & time were put into each invite.




















as you can see, there are so many things i love about my sweet mom.
happy birthday, mom. i love you & can't imagine my world without you or your example. i hope this year is filled with wonderful adventures & blessings.

please help me wish my mom, a happy birthday today.

{project life}

i am loving this project. you may remember that i was on board with project 365 {a picture a day} last year. i missed out on purchasing the 2009 kit. it sold out in a matter of minutes. i was able to get my hands on a 2010 kit. i am loving this simple way of documenting our lives. here are our a "picture a day" photos from the last week or so.

{friday, february 5, 2010}











the school has started a new club. it is the move it club. they are encouraging the children to walk/bike to school each friday. tanner is the leader for our route to school. brody & i have been joining in on the fun.


{saturday, february 6, 2010}












we loved having dylan over for a little play date. garrett & dylan made sugar cookies, jumped on the trampoline, played hide & seek & watched a movie. super fun day.


{sunday, february 7, 2010}










i made 20 of these purse invites for the young women at church. it is for their new beginnings program. we are having a tea party, fancy nancy style.


{monday, februaury 8, 2010}











every monday, after school, tanner & carter participate in the chess club. they get to practice their chess skills & play a few games against other students at the school. they have loved participating in this club.

{tuesday, february 9, 2010}



















brody is totally into dressing himself these days. it may look like he just got out of bed...this was an afternoon pick. he came out of his room, after lunch wearing this get up -LOL. christmas jammies {pants on inside out} and a snow hat...what is not to love about jammies & a snow hat, mid day :-)?

{wednesday, februaury 10, 2010}









wednesdays are my days to help in the boys classrooms. i have had the chance to be the art docent for tanner & carter's classrooms this year. on this particular wednesday, i taught art to carter's class. this project was a fun one. the children pencil sketched a horse & then they traced it with elmer's glue. we let it dry & then they colored their horses in with pastel chalks. all of the projects turned out great...wonderful details and vibrant colors.

{thursday, february 11, 2010}












cookies by the dozens for valentine's day. we shared them with friends, neighbors & the boys teachers.


{friday, february 12, 2010}











today was filled with lots of parties, sugar, and valentines for and from friends. garrett came home wearing this darling little valentine get up & had a kiss for me. we love kindergarten.


{saturday, februaury 13, 2010}












john & i were able to escape for a much needed date night. my sister in laws(thanks tina & petra) watched the boys. john & i went to dinner & a movie. we saw valentines day. it was really cute...perfect date night movie. it was fun to to relax & enjoy some time with my sweetie. another famous self portrait in the car :-).

{sunday, february 14, 2010}











one of the many attempts to get a cute valentine's photo of the boys. i love them so much!


{monday, februaury 15, 2010}











today was the first day of baseball practice. feeling a little overwhelmed. we are still playing basketball(3 out of the 4) & now we are on to baseball practices. tanner & carter are on the same team this year. they are excited to be playing together, again. i am so glad they have each other. they are good friends & i love that they are close in age. i am not sure how i am feeling about being on the yankees :-). this nor cal mama grew up watching /loving the giants.

i am taking about 20 minutes each week to put my photos into the album & to get my journaling down on the little cards. so far, so good. i am staying caught up. by years end, we will have an accurate glimpse of our 2010.

and a special happy birthday to my grandma shore.

love is in the air

oh the excitement level in our home has been at an all time high. the boys have taken their time to address each valentine to their classmates. tanner has realized that this is the last year that he will pass valentines out at school {insert tears}. he is growing up way too fast. realizing that this was it, he took the time & wrote each classmate a note, telling them something that he admired about them. for instance, he wrote athena a note telling her that she was a really good artist & that he liked her art work. i thought it was really sweet of him to take the time to write something extra.















i feel like i have made/frosted sugar cookies by the truck load. you can find the recipe in the post below this one..












here is what we did for the teachers this year. each teacher got a plate of sugar cookies & a gift card for starbucks. you gotta have hot chocolate (or coffee for the boys teachers) with your cookies. we attached a little gift card holder on top of the cookie plate. a few years back, i worked the sacramento scrapbook expo for green tangerines & we made these gift card holders as a free make & take. so simple & easy to make. a perfect way to use some of your extra stash. I had all of the product on hand & did not have to purchase anything new(did you read that, john?) here are the steps:

double sided pattern paper {adds instant cuteness}
cut your paper to 4 X 6 in..














fold your pattern paper up from the bottom, about 1 1/2 in..














ink edges, staple left & right sides shut. punch a few hearts, add a bow & you are good to go.





enjoy your valentine weekend...hope it is filled with love & all things sweet.

for your giggling pleasure...

This kiddo is totally into dressing himself. He changes his outfit multiple times a day. the laundry situation is driving me crazy. The silver lining is the endless giggles I get when he walks out of his room, strutting his stuff & so very proud of himself. He has had a really bad cough. He doesn't cough unless he runs :-). We all know how good 2 1/2 year olds are at sitting still. His cough kept him home from church on sunday. John & I split church time. I went to the first part & then met John & Brody in the parking lot. When I climbed into the car, John said, "Beware. He is going to cry. He dressed himself & thinks he is going to nursery." Look at that outfit. At least he got the right sweater on (inside out), Garrett's basket ball shorts, blue church socks & garrett's church shoes. Oh, how I love this little boy. There is never-ever a dull moment!

play date & cookies...

does it get any better than that? i don't think so. today was a wonderful day. we didn't have any sporting events to attend to today. i am not sure how that happened but it was heavenly. we all got our chores done early & played today. We had our super cute friend, dylan over for the day. we love when she gets to play at our house. garrett did not know she was coming till this morning. you should have seen him making his own bed & cleaning his room. play dates = one little boy willing to do his chores with a smile :-). you should have seen brody, yelling dylan's name while tackling her as she walked in the door. he was just as excited to see her as garrett was.














we decided to make sugar cookies today. they had so much fun cutting the heart shapes & of course, decorating them. we sure enjoyed having little miss d here.
























hands down, these are the best sugar cookies ever. this recipe came from my aunt carla. then they became my mom's cookies....and now we all claim it as our own :-). our family has been making these cookies for years.

aunt carla's sugar cookies

1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
1 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

cream shortening, sugar, eggs, and milk. add vanilla after creaming ingredients. Add flour, b.p., and salt. refrigerate dough for at least one hour. bake on greased cookie sheets at 350 for 8 minutes. remove cookies to cooling rack asap.

*raimi's notes:
i always double the batch...gotta share with my neighbors. I usually make the dough the night before. **Don't over bake these. They are so yummy when they are soft & not crispy...i'm just saying.

sugar cookie frosting
16 oz. box of powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. of milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. butter
food coloring

cream all ingredients together. add food coloring to desired color.
frost cookies & enjoy!

the last kit of the week

here it is friends, the last kit of the week. yes, you just totally read that right.











green tangerines lost their lease this week. they have to be out of the building by march 1st. it was a shock to each & every one of us. i am pretty sure i am still in denial. i can't imagine my little community without green tangerines. it has been the mecca of scrapbooking supplies for us, the locals. it has been a place where my boys & myself feel at home. kelly, paula, and ken are always so good to my boys. green tangerines has allowed me to do what i love on a very part time basis (mostly from home during the last year)... still allowing me that sahm status. it has been the place where i have met & become very good friends with some of the most amazing & wickedly talented girls. i can't imagine going through a week with out stopping by green tangerines at least 3 times :-)...my car just seemed to automatically drive there. i can't imagine my month without a scrappy hour with fun friends. green tangerines seriously was my one stop shopping/inspiration when it came time to get my creative juices flowing. the happy visits with staff,who quickly became instant friends just made green tangerines that much more for me. they are friends who are your cheerleaders during the ups & downs of life. they are a group of girls, that i consider myself so lucky to know & call my friends. Okay, i am stopping right here. the tears are freely flowing & i just can't go here today.

on a happy note, green tangerines is having a store wide sale, 25 percent off the entire store (except for bazzill, adhesives, kit of the weeks & a few other things). kelly has even received some of the new lines from cha. the other happy note is that the green tangerines kit club will still be up & running. watch the blog for details to come at a later date.

like i said, this is the last kit of the week. if you want one,you can stop by the store or give them a call at 916.771.8010.

supplies used on "our silly valentines layout:
bazzil (white & red)
pattern papers by 3 bugs, heidi swapp, my minds eye, american crafts
american crafts black glitter thickers
polka dot fabic ribbon (from the jan. gtkc...i love this stuff)
various heart punches(fiskars, ek)

blog love winner

thanks for all of the kind comments about the new look on my blog. i really do love my blog. it is so colorful...so happy...so me.

and the lucky winner for the signature & frame from blog designs by two happy mamas goes to ( all 15 names are there) ....












drum roll please...
waiting for my helpful assistant to pull a name...












and the winner is...
*disclaimer: the cute two year is not included in the prize package :-).
















congrats katie! i will email your name & email address off to kristina at blog designs by two happy mamas.
p.s. keep me posted on what you pick.